Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Collector who banged the drum for mustard pots
01 December 2025‘Drum’ form mustard pots – known at the time as mustard tankards or cans – first emerged in the second half of the 18th century as the fashion changed from dry to wet mustard.
Patience rewarded as Oscar Wilde teapot makes $16,000
01 December 2025The 1882 Royal Worcester porcelain Patience teapot has become a satirical emblem of the Aesthetic movement.
Hempel’s Dresden sauceboats once served to please at court
01 December 2025This pair of mid-18th century Dresden sauceboats were once part of the huge holdings of silver used at the court of Frederick Augustus II (1733-63).
Ashbee and Knox mix the old and modern
01 December 2025Charles Robert Ashbee’s pseudo medieval wirework silver and glass jugs and bottles rank among the Guild of Handicraft’s finest work.
Vendor tastes sweet success with early Maltese sugar bowl
01 December 2025Although Malta supported an estimated 600 makers from 1680-1820, relatively little silver from the period survived on the island.
Bidders on the scent of a segmented pomander
01 December 2025The term pomander derives from the French pomme d’ambre, meaning ‘apple of amber’, a reference to the aromatic substances – ambergris, musk, civet, and spices – once formed into small balls and carried as protection against disease.
Joyce chalices give cause to rejoice in a North Yorkshire sale
01 December 2025Richard Joyce, a member of one of the Tribes of Galway (the 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city), led an extraordinary life.
Strawberry dish goes solo to sell for £7000 hammer less than a month later
01 December 2025Although termed strawberry dishes, the classic early Georgian plain serving dish with raised fluted sides and a scalloped rim, were used for a variety of purposes.
Old Master sleepers awaken in American auctions
01 December 2025Works by Ambrosius Benson and an unknown artist possibly from Antwerp go way beyond estimates
Story time: How silver items with a strong narrative can survive being sent for scrap
01 December 2025Sustained scrap silver prices of more than £30 an ounce have sent large quantities of middle-of-the-road Georgian and Victorian domestic silver to the melting pot. Today, to sell well above the bullion price, it helps if silver comes with a strong narrative. ATG reports on a few great storytellers.
Gale warnings and sale earnings: Graham Stewart contemporary styles
01 December 2025Scottish contemporary silver by Graham Leishman Stewart (1955-2020), squirreled away for decades in private collections, is now slowly beginning to reach the secondary market.
Huguenot talent turned up in Ireland and thrived making silver
01 December 2025Irish silver pocket corkscrews from the Georgian period are not common.
Mouseman furniture auction record set by prep school dining table
26 November 2025The 23-year-old auction record for Mouseman furniture has been broken by Hawleys at Beverley Racecourse, Yorkshire.
George III parquetry box with 72 wood specimens offered at Dreweatts
24 November 2025This rare George III parquetry box containing approximately 72 wood specimens to all sides and the interior was almost certainly made by Gillows c.1810.
Tattoo pioneer got to the point
24 November 2025Working in the Bowery neighbourhood in Lower Manhattan in the late 19th century, Samuel O’Reilly (1854-1909) transformed the art of tattooing.
Japanese art expert Suzannah Yip joins Alastair Gibson Auctions
24 November 2025Leading Japanese works of art specialist Suzannah Yip is now working in partnership with Alastair Gibson Auctions in Kent.
On a winner in the saleroom with lots relating to Nobel Prizes
24 November 2025A group of manuscripts that featured letters from 12 Nobel Prize-winning scientists was offered as part of Sworders’ (25% buyer’s premium) Books and Maps timed online sale ending on November 2.
A Seamaster fit for a civilian
24 November 2025The 165.024 reference Omega Seamaster 300 was one of the most robust and practical dive watches of the Sixties.
